Income Tax Services for Truckers

Transportation workers include airline pilots, over-the-road truck drivers, owner-operator truck drivers, railroad conductors, railroad signal men, mariners, and anyone else subject to hours of service regulations who directly moves people or goods by plane, train, barge, bus, truck, or ship and whose job requires the worker to travel away from home to areas with different federal per diem rates during any one trip.

Transportation workers subject to the Department of Transportation (DOT) hours of service laws are allowed a greater deduction for meals. Instead of being capped at 50% of the amount spent, truck drivers and other transportation workers can take 80% of the meals expense. In addition, transportation workers, such as airline pilots, are given a standard per diem meal allowance so they do not have to calculate the amount per city in which they stay. The amount allowed as a standard for 2012 is $59 per day. Each day is divided into 4 six-hour parts, so the day departing and the day returning need to be calculated based on the time of day work begins and ends.

What expenses can I deduct?

Truck drivers, particularly owner-operators who travel across state lines, have many additional expenses to consider.

Common items to include are:

Sleeper bedding

Laundry of sleeper bedding

Laundry while away from home

Communications equipment and service fees (such as cell phones and cell service plans)